Eternal Summer Dwells
by wherefore-suchas
Summary: After the events of "She'll be Apples." In which Remy steals paradise, John has issues, Rogue adjusts and Kitty decides.
1. i

**Eternal Summer Dwells**

_Whilst from off the waters fleet  
thus I rest my printless feet...._

Milton, _Comus_

**the obligatory (short) author's note:** Back in action. Battery recharged. Not much to say except that this takes place in the same universe as _Une Danse Ronde_ et al. And that the title is nabbed from John Milton's _Comus_ along with the epigraph. As always: not mine. never will be. money made from this = zero dollars.

*** * ***

He stole it. Of all th' things ta steal in the world, he stole it for us. A gift. Somethin' ta show he cared. Deeply an' violently in ways he'd never say out loud, could never say because some of us aren't verbal creatures. Not when it comes down ta th' people we love. An' what do ya say when your boyfriend's standin' there after work, with that drowned puppy look because even though it was wet outside that didn't mean people stopped needing their documents delivered? Wet shirt peekin' out just right, muddy calves from puddle splashes an' th' most amazin' eyes. He was drippin' on th' kitchen floor. Big, cloudy drops on th' yellow flowered linoleum.

Ah fingered the paper, slightly damp, even though he'd carried it inside his jacket. Ah'd say "next ta his heart" if Ah were a certain kind o' girl. My head might've been spinnin' a little, but then it's hard ta say about that. Hard day at work, which my feet reminded me about every other minute.

"What is this?" Ah managed.

He opened my hands gently. Ah'd crumpled th' things. "Tickets," he replied softly.

"Tickets?" Well, damn, wasn't Ah th' clever little echo?

"A vacation, _cheré_."

"For us."

He grinned at me, but there was enough uncertainty in it ta make it into a ghost of his usual expression. "_Mais_ (well), had t' get some for John and Kitty." He rolled his eyes melodramatically an' Ah felt somethin' stir in my stomach that seemed like laughter. "Never hear de end o' _dat_ one if I didn't."

Ah knew there'd be trouble before th' next words tumbled out. Ah knew there wasn't any way Ah _couldn't_ ask. Even though Ah never wanted ta hear th' answer in th' first place. "How did ya _afford_ this?"

At first, Ah could never tell Remy's lies from his truths. But that was a long time ago. Ah wasn't mad at him for lyin' then, back when we barely knew each other, even though Ah loved ta give him shit. Even though he'll swear up an' down that he _never_, would _never_. Because that's how he knew Ah wasn't like anyone else, so he says, because he couldn't lie ta me. Because he felt bad ta think about it. For him, there wasn't any way but ta tell th' truth. "Stole dem."

"Ah thought ya weren't good with computers." It was all th' protest Ah could think of. Especially since Ah couldn't stop lookin' at th' damn things. Runnin' my fingers over th' destination name. God. Hard ta concentrate when there's an infinity of white sand an' turquoise water openin' up inside your head.

"Jean-Luc didn't allow any of us t' be slouches." It's kind of defensive and Ah touch his forearm quickly, just ta make sure he realizes that Ah didn't mean anythin' by it.

"Ah don't know about this..."

"Not'ing t' do 'bout it now."

"No-o. But Ah wish we'd all had a say."

He shifts his weight. "I asked John."

That left me pretty damn flat. "What? When?"

"Been t'inking 'bout dis for a while. De opportunity didn't come up 'til today."

"Does Kitty know?" Amazin' how foolish Ah felt right then. Like everyone'd been in on this thing but me.

"_Non_. Wouldn't have asked John but it's just dat...didn't know how t' ask you. Dat's all."

That's everythin'. We'd been through so much up ta then, but it made me wonder. Like a deep hole opened up. Small at th' top. Ah wanted ta see th' bottom without fallin' in. Ah was done with fallin' in. Realized Ah was still tracin' patterns on th' tickets, like there was braille there Ah could read or somethin'. "Ah don't want ta make this a bigger deal than it has ta be. Not between us," Ah told him honestly. "Ah don't want ta make everything into such a fucking tragedy."

Ah cain't even say how relieved he looked right then. He scooped me up, liftin' me until only th' tips o' my toes were touchin' th' floor. Reflexively, Ah folded my powers inside. Even by then, with months o' practice, Ah could still feel 'em like some frantic bird inside a cage. Ah'd learned quick that if Ah kept 'em in too long it made me sick. Like th' world tilted. Like th' hangover from hell.

Remy tickled my neck with his nose. His breath was hot behind my ear. Ah angled my head an' grazed th' top of his ear with my teeth. There aren't words for what happened next. Muddy. Damp. Back hard on th' floor. We're together an' it's like sensory confetti. His breath on my face an' he'd been suckin' on a tic tac. His breath on my thighs an' Ah forgot how ta make words into sentences.

Shake. Slick. Heat. Coiled. Flutter. Change. Fall.

Ah love the way he fits, just so, inside my hips. How my legs can go up around him an' hold him still as long as Ah want. Ah've wanted this, what Ah have now. Th' way everythin' goes together. Everythin' we can do together when th' bird's caught up inside my chest. Naked from th' waist down, th' linoleum was cold against my skin. Self-conscious, Ah half-raised an' tugged at his shirt, pullin' it up until it snarled with his nylon rain jacket. Frustrated, Ah let out a tiny growl an' ripped.

There are two hollows right below his hipbones, under his waistband. His skin tasted windblown and slightly dirty. He jumped under my tongue.

He stole it. A slice o' paradise for a week. For us. Ah kissed him hard, our teeth bumped. My hand wandered.

*** * ***

De first t'ing dat happened was dat Kitty got airsick.

Good t'ing de girl had de aisle seat because I'd never actually _seen_ anyone turn quite dat shade of green before.

John rubbed her back in small circles.

"Don't touch me," she moaned miserably.

"Sorry. Sorry." He looked at me helplessly, but all I could do was shrug. Which was about de moment dat Rogue finished digging t'rough her carry-on bag, coming out wit' a box of Dramamine. Looked t' me like someone'd been chewing on de box by mistake, but de way Kitty looked at Rogue you'd t'ink she was Ed McMahon wit' de whole prize patrol behind her. "Here." John passed her de last of his water. "You're not suppose ta drink that lavatory rubbish."

Kitty popped de pills and chased dem wit' de water, sitting back into her seat and closing her eyes in a way dat showed she was determined t' fall asleep and not wake up for a long time.

Dat's how much our lives had shrunk. Dis was high drama. I sighed. Felt ungrateful t' look de gift horse in de mouth. Considering how many times I'd hoped for somet'ing like dis coming up. Stability. De pleasure of waking up on Sunday's wit' Rogue's hair tangled across my arm. She was wearing it longer. Spending de morning in bed, trading sections of de paper. John and Kitty arguing over pancake fillings in de kitchen. My favorite was banana, like Kitty, but John was partial t' apple, mango sometimes if he was feeling ambitious and de mango lady was around.

But...

Heard _dat_ one coming a mile away, right? But. Not'ing else. Dere's a world behind dat word. Longing and imagination. Y' spend life waiting and training and doing t'ings one way and den, suddenly, y' have t' up and change into a private citizen. Enough t' make a man's head spin.

John tapped my temple. "Earth ta Captain LeBeau."

"Jerk."

"Dearest?" He laid his head on my shoulder. "I'm under strict orders not ta let you introspect yourself ta death on this trip. Have I thanked you properly?"

"Last night," I replied idly.

"Smashing."

"Whose orders?"

John jerked a thumb toward Rogue across de aisle. She was craning her neck t' see past her seatmate and out de window. Headphones on. Tinny leak of sound. Oblivious. Lately, dere was a twist of envy in John. Y' felt it like static electricity in de air. When he was around, I tried not t' touch Rogue since dat only seemed t' make it worse. He and Kitty...don't know what happened exactly. Mebbe it's only in de movies dat two people can disagree and love each other. Real life needs more harmony dan dat. But she still hung around.... Couldn't see de logic dere. Shook my head. Wasn't my mess t' sort out.

"Penny for 'em," John said, startling me. He chuckled. "Wouldn't take ya by surprise if ya'd keep your mind from wandering."

"Just t'inking."

"Ya do enough of that for an army of philosophers."

"Quantity and quality aren't de same t'ing."

"Right."

Of course it stood t' reason dat once t'ings were finally settling down wit' Rogue, t'ings wit' John would go off. At least wit' her dere was a discernible event. Wasn't John's character t' be so moody and withdrawn.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Just did." When he smiled, it seemed hollow.

"Another t'ing."

"Shoot."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit."

"Swear. Nothing."

"What happened wit' Kitty?"

"That's two things."

"True."

Rogue, headphones still on, turned away from de window and gave us a small wave. At dat moment, felt like me and John were 'bout a million miles away from her. We waved back.

*** * ***


	2. ii

**A few things: 1.** While I don't think I'll ever name Remy & Rogue's tropical island in the context of this story, I do keep my time in the Dominican Republic in mind while I'm writing. But any places mentioned are purely fictional. **2.** I'm aware that, in comics-continuity, Jacques and Rochelle LeBeau are most likely deceased, and I don't care a teensy tiny bit. **3.** Like almost everyone who pops up in my stories, Nita Prentiss is _not_ anyone I made up myself. But looking for information on her will spoil the surprise.

*** * ***

Ah remembered Genosha, but it was like that moment in a bad dream where ya wake up a little an' know that you were only sleepin' in th' first place. It was that same light. Unmistakable light, like somethin' from a Vermeer. Cool, bright an' almost sharp. Reachin' like fingers ta touch in dark corners. Th' pitted road for our pitted taxi an' a blur of green haze jungle, broken here an' there by colored flutters -- small houses that speckled th' roadside.

From th' passenger's seat, Remy fumbled back awkwardly an' touched my knee. Ah patted his forearm ta let him know Ah was okay.

In town, th' road faded ta dirt. Th' taxi slowed. Seemed like there were people everywhere, spread out on porches in th' shade. Ah rolled down th' window an' breathed in th' mixed scent o' earth an' ocean an' overripe decay. Somewhere Ah couldn't see, a rooster crowed. Weird an' strangled.

John gave a low whistle. "Not bad."

Kitty rolled down her own window, stuck her hand out, spread her fingers ta let 'em wave in th' passin' breeze. She closed her eyes.

Remy turned ta the driver an' said somethin' in Spanish. Sometimes Ah felt ashamed that he should know how ta do so many things. Other times it was nothin' but pure admiration, even if it must've been hard ta feel like your dad didn't see ya as anythin' but an employee. Ah knew that th' whole thing was more complicated than that, but Ah wondered how long it'd taken Remy ta figure that out.

We turned onto a narrow road, overgrown, barely seemed like more than a ribbon twistin' back through th' trees. Close vegetation whipped in th' windows an' Ah rolled mine back up, catchin' part o' a big leaf at th' top. Ah slipped it out an' toyed with it. Hardly seemed real. Thick an' tough, almost like plastic. The ragged bottom edge was rough an' caught against my fingers.

"What's this?" Ah asked John.

He took th' leaf, hand fumblin' over mine. Squinted this way an' that for so long that I knew he was hammin' it up, but Ah let him because there was a part o' John lately that seemed...hollow. He'd lost somethin' without any o' us noticin', but Ah figured he'd talk about it when he was good an' ready. No use pushin' if he didn't want ta be pushed. Nothin' would come o' that but fights.

John laughed, but it was more of a snort than anythin'. He ruffled my hair. "Silly girl. Banana."

"Ah thought they were tall!" Ah laughed back. Not because Ah didn't know. Ororo'd had a few banana trees in her greenhouse. Th' old John seemed ta be peepin' out at me again an' the coldish stranger was gone for th' moment.

John seemed ta relax back into th' seat. "They don't start out that way, love." He ruffled my hair again. Funny now ta think 'bout it, but right then, two things happened: th' taxi stopped in front o' our hotel an' Ah could _feel_ it. Somethin' from John. Felt like th' air got heavy. Syrup-thick. _Oh god, what..._ Because it was never th' same as with Remy. Could never be because Ah didn't...but what if he did? How was it that things could get snarled up so quickly?

_Someone say somethin'._

"Remy, this place is, like, completely _amazing_," Kitty breathed, and there were almost no words Ah would've been happier ta hear.

Th' place _was_ beautiful. Sprawlin' like it'd just stretched out ta take a nap one day an' never bothered ta get back up. Full o' that slightly-faded charm that makes people comfortable. Makes 'em want ta stay an' stay. Cottages spread out from either side o' a main house. Palm roofs an' weathered wooden siding. A stray breeze stirred up, shakin' th' dried leaves so they rattled softly.

"How did ya even know 'bout it?" Ah added, relief pitchin' my voice higher than usual. Remy turned around backwards an' stared at me. "Ah barely believe it's real even though Ah was sittin' here th' whole time."

Remy pressed his lips together briefly an' Ah silently willed him not ta ask any questions. Ah could tell him later. _Tell him what? What's there ta tell?_ Ah didn't want ta go runnin' off into wild speculation over a feelin'. Back when Ah would've given nearly anythin' ta be more than a tiny blip on Scott's radar, Ah would've gone pretty crazy over a feelin'. Not anymore.

"De Guild is everywhere. We retire too."

"So who..."

"Jacques and Rochelle decided dis might be a fine place t' spend de rest of dere lives."

"Wait. _Who_?" Kitty asked.

"My grandparents." Remy circled 'round ta th' trunk an' helped th' driver with our bags. "Dey moved down here and opened dis place. Beats senility." Remy grinned.

That shocked me for a second, 'cause as much as Remy could regret his family sometimes, Ah'd never heard him say anythin' so harsh. But even while Ah was thinkin' 'bout that, a hand landed heavily on my shoulder.

Th' voice that went along with the hand was just as forceful, pourin' past my ear, leavin' it ringin' a little. "Remy LeBeau, y' can _bec mon chu_ (kiss my ass) and go home right now if y' prefer."

Remy waved his hand. "_Non_, t'ink I'll just settle down here if it's de same t' you."

"Dat worthless father of yours not teach y' any manners, _neh_?"

"Not'ing dat I couldn't forget quick."

Ah slid a glance at John an' Kitty, whose expressions were hoverin' somewhere between amused an' intimidated. Guess Ah had th' upper hand there since Ah'd already met Remy's father. Wasn't much ta be rattled by after _that_. Ah ducked out from under Jacques's hand while th' two of 'em were busy starin' each other down, darted behind Remy's back an' shoved him forward.

"Just say 'Hi' like normal people or we'll be standin' out here all day."

Ah surveyed th' pair. Th' rest o' Jacques was as large as his hand. A patch o' thick, white hair, deeply tanned skin an' a pair o' clever dark eyes. He laughed, revealin' two rows of even, white teeth. "And t' t'ink, here I was trying t' figure how Jean-Luc was telling de tall tales 'bout you, _chére_." He pulled Remy into th' most uncomfortable lookin' hug Ah'd ever seen. Remy's entire body seemed ta get swallowed up at once.

"Enough!" Ah heard him gasp, before Jacques set him down.

"Your grandmother's inside. Told de woman not t' fuss. But she got de idea in her head." Jacques rolled his eyes. He looked at me. "I like y', girl. Remind me of a young me."

Ah did my best ta tuck my smile into my hand. No one would ever accuse th' LeBeau men o' havin' self-esteem problems.

*** * ***

De house smelled like fish. Held my nose elaborately and looked at Jacques, who banged me lightly in de leg wit' de suitcase he carried as answer.

"Dat's de problem wit' kids today. No sense of de reality of t'ings."

"Better dan some who've got no sense at all."

"Rochelle!" Jacques bellowed. "He's here! Can we send him back yet?"

"You leave dat boy 'lone!" Put on de best wounded expression t' greet Rochelle. She emerged from de swinging door dat led back from de reception area t' de body of de house, wiping her hands while she came. She wore a white apron, flecked here and dere with large, silvery scales. _Dat explains de smell._ "Don't touch me, I'm disgusting," she warned.

"De boy's stupid, not blind," Jacques offered helpfully.

"Not deaf yet either," I added. "Just wait on dat one. More of your yelling might make me dat way."

Rochelle sighed melodramatically, den turned t' each of de others in turn. "You must be Rogue. Jean-Luc said de hair was unmistakable."

"Hi, Mrs. LeBeau." She switched her suitcase from one hand t' de other.

"Call me Rochelle. You'd t'ink I was old otherwise." Shifted again. "John an' Kitty. Bring your t'ings this way." Dey trailed after her, out toward de beach and de row of cottages. "Lucky t'ing it's the low season. This place fills up quick. There's one other guest..." After dat, I couldn't hear anymore.

"Good t' see you, Remy," Jacques said once de others were gone. "Been too long."

"_Mais_ (well), y' don't exactly live 'round de block."

He chuckled. "Small price t' pay for paradise. Nice t' see y've settled a bit."

Flipped idly t'rough de guest register while he spoke. De large shutters dat covered de floor t' ceiling windows were closed, making de room cool and dim. Could hear de swish o' de surf beyond. "Who says I've settled?" Tried my best t' hide de spark of annoyance under de question. Mebbe it was part fear. Who could I be if I wasn't de same _feu follet_ (a spirit, always moving)? Didn't want t' lose myself. At de same time, dere wasn't anyt'ing I felt was so different from before.

"Mattie, for one. Your father. Dey wish y'd call more often."

"Dis turning into a long-distance parental guilt-trip?"

Jacques held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "_Non_. An observation. But I can tell 'bout y' myself. Don't fool y'self t' t'ink dat freedom always means crazy, unsatisfied motion."

"See where Jean-Luc got his rhetorical style."

"De same place y' got dat smart-ass mouth of yours." Jacques grinned menacingly. "Don't aggravate me. You're not too old for a good punishment."

Closed de register. "But dat would mean y'd have t' catch me." In dat moment, I was struck by regret dat I hadn't come t' visit sooner. Thanks t' de Elixir, Jacques and Rochelle continued spry and healthy even though dey weren't taking it anymore. Dere came a time in every t'ief's life when he retired. Slowed down so dat time would catch up wit' him. Jacques had been born in 1865. De t'ings he'd seen since dat time were enough t' make me dizzy just t'inking 'bout it. Jean-Luc had explained it once, dat a good t'ief was made better t' know dat he only had a certain time t' make his mark. De knowledge dat t'ings would come t' an end only sharpened de urgency of life. T'ings I understood in theory, at de same time wanting t' find some way t' hold on to moments and people, dig my fingers in so dat everyt'ing stopped. Looked at Jacques, noticing, even in de dimness, de webs of wrinkles dat crept across his face, deep channels cut in his forehead. My breath caught. "We're all happy t' be here," I said, feeling dat de words were thin and chalky.

He squeezed my shoulder. "Why don't y' join de others? I'm sure dey're waiting. I'll let y' know when lunch is ready."

"Y' catch dat fish yourself?" Was some relief t' lighten de tone.

Jacques laughed. Dat deep, rumbling sound. Memory never compared t' de reality of it. No matter how I tried t' remember dat my grandfather's rich laugh sounded like tiny earthquakes crumbled on top of each other, not'ing compared t' de flesh and blood experience. "Y' know I never could fish for de life of me! Rochelle was out early dis morning."

Dat was true 'nough. Rochelle had a way wit' de ocean. A way of casting her line wit' deceptive grace, reeling in de fish with steely strength. "Who's N. Prentiss?" I asked. T' anyone else, de question would've seemed t' come from nowhere, but not t' Jacques.

"See dat y' haven't lost de t'ief's instincts."

"Still a t'ief."

N. Prentiss, cabin 6, was de only other guest. I'd seen de name in de register, printed in neat, slightly curled writing. Checked in four days previous.

Jacques shrugged. "No one dat I could find." De comfortably worn down nature of de place didn't do anyt'ing t' suggest de sophisticated computer system my grandparents had installed in de back. T'ieves are in de business of knowledge. T'ieves are also in de business of making enemies dat last a lifetime or more. "Full name's Nita Prentiss. Environmental science major at Empire State University. Says she's down here t' research her dissertation. Got no reason t' disbelieve her."

Right den, Rochelle came back into de room. "Remy! You're neglecting your friends." She made a shooing motion wit' her hands dat I knew better dan t' argue with. She fixed her attention on Jacques. "And don't t'ink that your poor fishing skills get y' out of helping wit' lunch."

"I never would!" Jacques protested.

"You would and have. I'm not senile yet dat I can't remember."

Didn't bother t' hide my smile at de helpless expression on Jacques's face when Rochelle hauled him back toward de kitchen.

*** * ***

**just me:** Thanks! I was a little paranoid about the Kyro, because I don't want to get in the way of Lancitty. But writing Lance into these stories might be slightly difficult at this point.

**Seven Sunningdale:** What a bizarre confluence of literature, because I'm about 1/3 of the way through my first Banana Yashimoto book right now (Asleep). Just...interesting. I also like Jane Mendelsohn's "I was Amelia Earhart" and Julia Blackburn's "The Leaper's Companions" for the beautiful, poetic imagery. I can only hope to write half as well as these people! Someday... The thing about writing sex scenes is that, the more explicit, tab A, slot B stuff has been done a lot and I'm not nearly creative enough to think up a new way to write it to make it fresh. A more figurative approach gives me more freedom that way. And I totally agree about the love/hate thing. I've only ever seen that work out in the movies or in books. I guess I'm just more boring and pratical when it comes to relationships.

**ishandahalf:** Yes. Warm vacation. Even though it's 18 degrees here. Below zero would be, like, a federal emergency or something. I'm hoping to take a warm vacation this year, but we'll see. I definitely want to work in John's problems, which is the first time in a long time that I'm kicking myself over the first person POV since it's damn hard to go in-depth into other characters this way. I promise to try though.

**Jean1:** Maybe it's because I (finally) saw X2? Rogue (read this as: Jubilee) is so angsty there. And I want to give the poor girl a break. Because no one should be sad all the time, especially when their life is running so smoothly. I love my sane Pyro, I do. Now let's see if we can shake him up just a bit.

**Caliente:** I'm just glad there are people hanging around who still want to read this stuff. Plus, I'm not sure how deep you can look into anything I've written. ;)

**Flyby Stardancer:** Well, ya ain't seen nothin' yet. Because I'm excited about this one. Truly. Loads of ideas. Bushels.

**ChaosCat:** Who doesn't like a good vacation though? Man, if someone gave me a vacation RIGHT NOW [eyes the cosmos] ... Ah, well. But, yes, drama. Certainly.

**Ruby-servantof-eli:** I'm planning a good long arc for this one. Hopefully your confusion will abate somewhere in there. But in the meantime, here's that chapter you asked for.

**Misa1124:** I feel like this is one big reunion! So great! I'll try not to disappoint.

**Sabby13:** Y'know, I'll take "pretty" and happily. I always worry when I write in a more poetic way that I'll just tilt right on over into Purple Prose Land. And things usually do work out, if not in the way that I plan. Oh, yeah, I'm in total control...


	3. iii

*** * ***

Kitty told me once that one o' th' reasons she loved ta swim was that it reminded her of phasin', only she didn't have ta think about it. Whatever th' cause, she was a much stronger swimmer than Ah was, dippin' in and out gracefully while Ah made my way clumsily across th' surface. Didn't matter though. In a place like that. Th' water was lukewarm, frothed by gentle waves an' clear enough that ya could see your feet all th' way down. Ah turned a choppy somersault an' then spread out on my back so that th' sun warmed an' the water cooled. Ah made a mental note ta pick up stronger sunscreen. Picked my hand outta th' water just ta watch th' pearls o' moisture roll down from my fingertips ta th' insides o' my wrist before fallin' off.

Somethin' brushed by my foot an' Ah kicked lazily at it, figurin' it was a stray twist o' seaweed. When it pushed back, Ah startled, rightin' myself with a noisy splash.

Kitty giggled. "You should see your face! _Totally_ worth it."

"Not if Ah drained your powers by accident," Ah grumbled darkly.

She stuck her tongue out. Her hair was wet an' already looked stiff from th' saltwater. "Oh everything's gotta be, like, such a huge deal with you!"

"One thing has ta be a huge deal with me," Ah reminded her gently. Hard ta get up th' urge ta argue under that sun. Felt like a weight pressin' down. Not in a bad way, but Ah understood why everythin' moved a little slower in th' heat. "Where's John?" Ah asked, tryin' ta change th' subject.

Kitty waved her hand casually. "He went off for a walk or something. I dunno."

"Ah'm sure he'll be back in time for lunch."

"Yeah. He's kinda creepy that way. Like, he always _knows_."

Ah laughed, skimmin' th' water with my hand. "Mebbe it's another mutant power?"

"Right."

Tell th' truth, Ah was glad that John'd decided ta go off by himself for awhile. Gave me time ta think an' puzzle over what Ah was going ta do. Ah kicked over, curlin' my spine until my hands could touch th' sandy bottom. My palms sank down. Ah straightened my legs, likin' th' cool feel o' th air. Ah'd never really been in water so warm before. With my eyes closed, it felt like light fabric, cotton mebbe, pressin' in. Quiet. Patches o' light chased each other behind my closed lids.

Kitty tickled th' arches o' my feet an' Ah lost my balance, tippin' over an' somehow comin' out awkwardly in Remy's arms. He nudged a stray piece o' hair away from his nose with his shoulder an' readjusted his grip. Ah shoved at him playfully.

"That was _you_?" Ah demanded peevishly, smilin' ta blunt my tone. Kitty was at least a hundred feet away, her hands spread over th' water like she was castin' a spell or somethin'.

"Hmm?" Remy replied sweetly, right before he sweetly ducked my head underwater.

"Bastard," Ah said fondly, squirmin' like Ah wanted to escape. He kissed th' corner o' my mouth, which was somethin' Ah loved but had never bothered ta tell him. Reminded me of all th' time we couldn't touch, not really touch, an' th' things we had ta come up with. Now it seemed ta me like a marker of how far we'd come. "Everyone's playin' with fire these days. Sneakin' up. Seems like everyone's forgotten what it used ta be like."

"_Non_," he assured me quickly, "been making up for lost time." My stomach jumped. Amazin' ta be so comfortable with someone an' still have 'em take ya by surprise. He trailed a finger slowly up th' dip o' my spine. Was like someone settin' fire ta each bone, one by one until my whole skeleton was glowin'. Ah was suddenly glad that Kitty'd convinced me ta spend money on a new bathin' suit. Black one piece with a high neck an' a completely open back. She'd tugged me in th' direction of th' bikinis, lookin' like little scraps o' nothin'. Just seein' 'em made me nervous since Ah was sure that they'd only look smaller on. With or without my powers, there were some things that Ah'd never be comfortable with because they didn't fit with th' way Ah wanted myself ta be.

Gave myself a mental shake so Ah'd be alert enough ta kiss him. His lips were wet from th' water, salty an' a little gritty. He managed ta lower me down without breakin' up th' kiss too much. Ah wrapped myself around him like seaweed, tippin' my chin up slightly for a better angle. My knees crooked an' my ankles locked under his butt. His hand swept down my throat ta rest at the side o' my breast, fingers stretched, not doin' anythin', just there, judgin' th' weight. Ah inched ta th' side an' he made a sound halfway between a whine an' a growl. Then, his hand was gone from my side, boostin' me from underneath, pullin' me closer. So close Ah could practically feel everythin', so it was almost like bein' th' same person. In another minute, Ah knew we'd probably be breakin' all kinds o' public nudity laws.

"Losin' m' appetite!" Jacques shouted behind us. Annoyance an' guilty relief filled me so quick my head was spinnin'. As much fun as we had together, Ah didn't see how gettin' jailed in another country would be somethin' Ah'd intentionally seek out.

Remy loosened his hold. "Sure dat's not just de old age talking? Mattie's got some stories 'bout you and Rochelle."

That made me freeze a little bit, because, no matter what th' joke, Ah wasn't sure how Ah felt bein' compared ta somethin' like a _wife_. Stole a glace at Remy an' Ah could see that he was embarrassed by th' way he held his shoulders stiff.

"Come in closer and say dat, boy."

Remy grabbed my hand an' we waded in together.

"Take it y' got good reason for interrupting?"

Jacques shrugged. "Lunch." Then he grinned wickedly. "Protein. Keep up dat strength."

Remy rolled his eyes elaborately. "Where's Kitty?"

Ah looked around, but didn't see her. "Mebbe she went back ta th' room. Ah'll go find her."

"John came t' de house a few minutes ago," Jacques said an' Ah smiled 'cause Kitty an' Ah'd been right about his unbelievable ability ta sense when there was food nearby. Ah set off for our cottage. Ah could feel th' sun dryin' me off while Ah walked an' by th' time Ah reached th' sketchy palm shadows at th' edge o' th' beach Ah was mostly dry, except for my hair, which was nothin' more than damp. Ah stretched my arms over my head, linkin' my fingers. It was like my whole body was lazily unfoldin'. Pretty soon Ah'd just be pulled into th' landscape an' dissolve.

Kitty was curled up into a ball on one o' th' beds. She hadn't even bothered ta take her shoes off. Her nose was practically tucked between her knees. Ah shook her, gently at first, then, when she didn't stir, harder. She started awake an' stared at me, bleary.

"Rogue?" her voice sounded faraway.

"How long have ya been sleepin'?"

"Mmm?" She stretched an' yawned. "Not long. Jetlag I guess."

"Mebbe th' Dramamine?" Ah suggested.

"Yeah, maybe."

"Lunch is ready. Jacques just came by a few minutes ago."

"Great, I'm totally starved." She dropped her feet over th' side o' th' bed an' stretched again. "God, I was having these weird dreams."

"What about?"

Her forehead crinkled. "I don't remember. Something about the ocean, I think. Something..." She laughed an' shook her head. "Couldn't have been too important, right? I mean, if I don't remember what it was."

"Kitty?" Ah touched her hand softly before she could leave th' room.

"Yeah?"

"Ah know it's none o' my business, but what happened with you an' John?"

She sighed heavily. "It's pretty boring. I mean, we weren't ever even really together like that. And y'know how you can click with some people? We didn't. Not really."

*** * ***

Lunch was set up on de patio, patchworked wit' sliding light. Rochelle brought de fish, wrapped in banana leaves, browned in its own skin. Grabbed her 'round de waist. "Y' know you're my favorite person right now?"

"Don't upset de fish, Remy," she replied mock-sternly.

Jacques made fruit salad, wit' fresh fruits dat shone like jewels from de bowl. I snatched a piece of pineapple without anyone noticing. Snatched a piece of mango.

De girl, Nita, was dere as well. Because it would've been rude t' my grandparents' minds not t' invite her. Because it would've been foolish t' dem also not t' use de opportunity t' find out what dey could 'bout her. It's dis coexistence of charity and self-interest dat might be de hardest t'ing t' understand. Dat a t'ief will welcome you into de house, invite you t' de table in all charity, but still stir t'rough your past. Happens often dat t'ings we t'ink of as opposites aren't really as opposite as we t'ink. She was pretty enough, wit' fine blonde hair and dark eyes. She wore a pair of cutoff shorts, a tank top, just below de knee gray men's tube socks wit' red stripes at de top and a pair of sandals.

When she introduced herself t' me, her voice was soft and breathy, like de sound of de ocean inside a shell. John seemed de most interested, de boy just about quivered when he turned toward her. None of which seemed like it'd do dat much good t' our vacation.

Rogue and Kitty arrived just as everyt'ing had just been set out. Rogue had changed out of her bathing suit and dat was a damn shame. Kitty looked tired. She barely glanced at John when she sat down. Made a mental note t' talk to de boy. Paradise was no place t' throw a fit. He and Kitty would have t' resolve dere differences soon or else wait until we got home t' do it. Speared a piece of mango and some fish.

"This is delicious, Rochelle," Rogue said.

"Thank you."

"Suppose dat I'm chopped liver here," Jacques grumbled. Rochelle patted him on de arm, soothing and sweetly patronizing at de same time. I was filled wit' warm satisfaction t' see dem together. It was like de years had notched dem together until dey fit snugly like puzzle pieces. Jacques squeezed Rochelle's side lightly. Dat anyone could make him behave was a small miracle t' see.

Rogue made an elaborate show of it, squeezing as much fruit into her mouth as she could, den chewing. De pleased noises she made didn't do much t' help my concentration. "Delicious," she said finally, de word slightly muffled by de last of de fruit.

Jacques let out a bark of laughter. "De _tite pichouette_'s (mischevious girl) not fit for polite company, Remy."

"Den it's a good t'ing dere's none o' dat around," I said, calmly taking another bite of fish.

"Tell us more 'bout your work, Nita," Rochelle prompted gently.

At first de girl looked hesitant, surprised even dat she'd been spoken to, but dere's always been somet'ing 'bout Rochelle dat inspires confidences. Mebbe it's dat good cop/bad cop dichotomy. Jacques is so much de bull in dere china shop, makes Rochelle seem all de more friendly. "I'm doing a comparison study on the effects of pollutants on the cellular health of aquatic animals and plants."

"Y' going other places besides this?"

"This is only the first stop. I've got plans to visit the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Bohai Sea in China." Her accent was faint and not'ing I could place. Dat made me curious. Not t' say dat I'm de world's foremost expert, but somet'ing twinged in de back of my head. Somet'ing dat told me t' dig deeper.

John looked a little glazed. Kicked him sharply in de ankle and he gave me a dirty look. Blind man could've seen dat he was developing a serious fascination wit' de girl. Rogue had said before dat t'ings shouldn't have to be a fucking tragedy. Hoped dat her conviction held true. People could come through a lot.

Nita nervously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. De ear itself was vaguely pointed. Her skin was so fair, it almost seemed bluish, especially in de dim light on de patio.

John seemed t' shake himself. Alert long enough t' speak at last. "Anything ta do 'round here except relax?"

Jacques rubbed his chin. "Dere's a sailing school down de beach dat way." He pointed. "And a place dat rents snorkling equipment."

"Or y' could just hang out at de bar all day like Jacques," Rochelle suggested. She rose, nudging Jacques' back as she did. He stood as well. "Dessert."

When dey'd gone, Kitty turned t' Nita. "What did you mean before about cellular health?"

Nita leaned forward, resting her elbows lightly on de table. Her entire face lit wit' excitement. "Even if a place looks clean, we can tell a lot about underlying levels of pollution by taking cell samples. A normal cell is pretty much round," she made a circle wit' her index fingers and thumbs, "but a sick cell loses its integrity and becomes deformed. Like a mutation."

My stomach sank. After everyt'ing we'd gone through wit' de FOH, didn't want t' have t' deal wit' another mutant hater, no matter how harmless she seemed t' be.

"Okay, but I don't think that's really the same thing. Like, mutants aren't mistakes or the result of that 50s sci-fi radioactive crap."

"I never said that at all." Nita shook her head. "But, I mean, how can you say it's _not_ a possibility? The entire _planet_ is polluted. There's nowhere to get away from it anymore. I think it's naive not to want to understand how it's affecting us."

Kitty stood forcefully, laying her palms flat against de table. "Mutation is _not_ a disease that needs curing." She paused for a second, seeming t' gather herself. "It's not a mistake either," she said, much softer dan before.

When she walked off de patio, I could tell by de sharp set of her shoulders dat she was crying.

*** * ***

**Star of Chaos:** I'll do my best to keep the angst level to a minimum. In fact, I have a strong predeliction for well adjusted Remy and Rogue.

**Seven Sunningdale:** My library didn't have Kitchen when I was there, but I can order it from a library elsewhere in the county (public libraries, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...) I know that, in canon, Remy only really speaks English and French, but it just seemed silly to me that you'd go about training a world-class thief and _not_ have him be polylingual. I only _wish_ I could get sleep. I could do it when I was still in college, but now it just feels like I'm wasting the day if I sleep past 10 AM.

**ishandahalf:** "Quick like a bunny" reminds me of Carson on Queer Eye. Sigh. That damn show. Why must it always be in reruns? Anywho. The unnamed-ness is mostly for my own lazy ass. Because that way I can just make up stuff and be like, On my imaginary island paradise it exists! I totally promise to delve into John's issues next chapter.

**Letanica:** Who wins the prize for most excited review so far. I'm glad to know that people still actually remember me in some small way. I like Jacques and Rochelle too. So I'm sure they'll be sticking around for a bit. As for the rest, you'll just have to wait and see...

**The Rogue Witch:** Thanks so much! I'm really psyched to be writing this. And I guess this is as good a time as any to bring up Remy's accent. The thing with the thing is that, when I started the initial story that morphed into this monster AU, it was just post DoR and Remy hadn't had a single line (his eyes were also brown, but the less said about _that_...). I've thought of just dropping the accent since he doesn't really have one, but I feel like that might be weird at this point. Of course, if enough people bring it up, I'd reconsider stuff for sure.

**Ruby-servantof-eli:** John doesn't have a crush on Rogue...exactly. Which probably doesn't do much for your confusion. But soon, I swear, stuff will be clearer.

**just me:** We'll all have to see about John and Kitty. Because I can't really make them do anything they don't want to do, honest.


	4. iv

No one moved for a long time right after Kitty left. Out o' th' corner o' my eye, Ah could see Jacques an' Rochelle standin' at th' shadowed edges o' th' patio. Ah knew then that they were probably more interested than anybody. Because Ah'd met Jean-Luc an' Ah knew Remy. All those things they pride themselves on, thieves' instincts, aren't instinctual at all. They're carefully learned an' forcefully taught. If Remy got 'em from Jean-Luc, well, Jean-Luc'd gotten 'em from somewhere too, right? Just because Ah liked Jacques an' Rochelle didn't mean Ah was insensible ta what they both were.

"Where's Kitty?" Rochelle asked sweetly, settin' down bowls o' ice cream in front o' us. Wondered if anyone else'd seen how long they'd both been standin' there. Ah dipped my spoon into my bowl half-heartedly. Coconut.

We all looked at each other anxiously, except for Nita, who was starin' a little too hard into her dish, eatin' her ice cream grimly as if it were a chore. "It's my fault," she mumbled. John half reached his hand out, like he wanted ta touch her, but pulled it back in at th' last minute. "She wanted to hear about my work. I got carried away. I guess I touched a nerve." When she finally raised her face enough so Ah could see, her dark eyes were dimmed with regret. Ah believed she truly _was_ sorry, even if what she'd said before had been too hasty.

Seemed ta me that there were about eight different things goin' on at once an' Ah didn't understand any of 'em. Ah stood. "Ah'm gonna go see if Kitty's okay."

She wasn't in th' room. Ah found her down at th' water. She'd taken her shoes off an' waded in up to her calves. Ah toed my own shoes off but stayed on shore. "Wanna talk 'bout it?"

Kitty pressed her lips together briefly in frustration. "There's nothing to talk about." Ah eyed her. "Really! I shouldn't have yelled at Nita like that. It's not like she said mutants are evil or anything. I can't believe I went off like that. God. I feel like the worst person in the world."

"There's always Hitler," Ah soothed. "You're not quite there yet." She smiled softly. "Ah mean, we went through a lot with th' FOH. A lot o' nasty stuff. Talk like that just brings some of it back."

"I know, but I don't think that's really it. Like, I feel...I dunno. It's stupid."

"Is it John?" Ah asked, as gently as Ah knew how.

"God, no." Kitty swung her hand hard through th' water. It splashed everywhere.

"Okay." There was a part o' me that didn't believe her, but there was a bigger part that told me Kitty trusted me enough not ta lie 'bout somethin' like that. If th' thing with John was still eatin' her, she'd say for sure.

"I guess I'm, like, not used to all this fresh air." She laughed brightly, soundin' like she always did, an' th' tight place in my chest eased a little.

"Mebbe it's a good idea if you an' John sit down an' have a talk. It'd be a shame ta let th' vacation go ta waste."

"Yeah, I guess." Kitty wrinkled her nose a little. "It's just that I thought everything was _done_, y'know? Like, why does everything just come back and bite you in the ass?"

"Because it'd be really fuckin' weird if it didn't, right?" Ah held out my hand. "If ya'd come outta th' water for two seconds, Ah thought we could go take a look at that cave Rochelle was tellin' us about before." It was only somethin' she'd mentioned in passing while she led us ta our cottage and Ah didn't even know if it was possible ta go down inside, but it was th' first thing that popped ta mind. A distraction.

Kitty smiled again an' grabbed my hand. Ah tugged, pushin' up into th' air at th' same time. We flew backwards, landin' in th' scrub o' vegetation at th' edge o' the beach.

"One way ta avoid gettin' sand on your feet, love," John observed. Remy was beside him. Apart from a little stoop ta John's posture, it coulda been th' same old guy. Ah guessed Kitty wasn't th' only one who'd gotten a pep talk. Shot Remy a quizzical look an' he raised his fingertips slightly, which Ah understood ta mean he'd tell me all 'bout it later.

"T'ought we'd do some exploring," he offered.

Kitty slid me a look. "Great minds, you guys. D'you, like, practice this in your spare time?"

"Don't need it. Not the pod people," John added innocently. Ah flicked his elbow. "Ow. Christ." He put on his best sulkin' face.

"Baby," Kitty teased. John looked at her, startled, but th' look faded quickly, dissolvin' into a crooked grin.

"Snookums?" he suggested, puttin' an arm around her waist. She phased through him and he stumbled forward. "Hate it when ya do that, darlin'."

"Your grandmother mentioned somethin' 'bout a cave," Ah said, strugglin' ta keep focused.

Remy drew his eyebrows together. "I don't remember..."

"They were probably afraid ya'd fall in," John said. He titled his head and squinted like he was thinkin' real hard. "There's a bright side ta everythin'."

Remy kicked him in th' ankle.

*** * ***

De cave wasn't much of what y'd be used to. Not'ing went so deep on de island, or echoed away into twisting corridors. Dere were narrow steps cut down into de rock, slippery wit' moisture. We scrambled down de close passage, bracing our hands against de walls t' keep from sliding. At de bottom, it was cool and dark. De sound of water dripping came in from everywhere. John flicked his lighter and twisted de flame free. We were in a space 'bout as big as our apartment, wit' a small pool on one side. Blossoms of lichen on de walls.

"Cool," Kitty breathed.

Rogue had wandered over t' de pool. Staring into it like she might find her future reflected dere. I joined her, touching her elbow. After everyt'ing, I still tried hard t' remind myself dat de contact wasn't a dream or a trick. Suppose dat's de nature of t'ieves. Always waiting for de rug t' come flying away from under our feet. A rain of other shoes from up high.

"Look at it," she pointed. Her breath on my face felt nice in de cold cave. "It's so clear. Ya can see all th' way down."

Looked and it made me dizzy. De water shifting everyt'ing. Always changing. "Y' can't tell how deep it is." Weak light made everyt'ing look gray.

"Ah bet it's cold." She slipped under my arm, resting her hand on my shoulder blade. "This place is...it's like we're not even on th' island anymore."

Didn't get de chance t' answer because of de two t'ings dat happened almost simultaneously: de light went out and someone came rocketing past us in de dark. Plunging into de pool. De water was even colder dan it looked.

"John, you jerk!" Kitty howled. Only dere was laughter in it.

"It's bloody Baltic in here!" John's voice drifted from below.

"John, ya jerk!" Rogue echoed.

"What? A man can't have a bit o' fun then?"

"Not when he's got de lighter in his pocket, _podna_ (dude)."

Not'ing but silence for a long time. "Hell," John said quietly.

We laughed. Laughed so hard I had t' lean against Rogue for support. Was like everyt'ing had just been off, out of step, but right den it clicked back together. De tension disappeared. Like I've said, de cave wasn't so deep. Light filtered down de crude stairs from de surface. Could see shadows of leaves flickering on de wall. My eyes were already starting t' adjust. Enough so I could make out John's head bobbing on de surface. Another splash told me Kitty had joined him. Rogue tugged on my hand.

"C'mon."

Shook my head even though I wasn't sure she could see it. "Y' heard de man, _chére_. Bloody Baltic." Course, dat was right before I found myself tipping in. De water was a shock at first. Had t' struggle not t' gasp. End up wit' a lungful. My clothes ballooned around me and I couldn't tell which way was up. De bubbles my entrance made tickled against my face.

Someone grabbed me by my collar, dragging me up. Took a gulp of air.

"Ya okay?"

"Bad luck t' kill de boyfriend," I managed. More rattled dan I should've been. Been in worse situations, of course.

Rogue smoothed some hair from my face. "Sorry," she whispered.

Touched her shoulder t' let her know I was okay. Worked my shoes and socks off carefully, putting dem up on de side. Once y' got used to it, de temperature was refreshing. Felt like it looked: clear and clean. But I remembered what Nita said, dat y' couldn't always tell de purity of t'ings by looking.

Floated on my back for a bit. Could hear de others moving. Tiny splashes.

Hard t' say how long we stayed dere. Time moves different in de dark. Eventually, we scrambled out, graceless because de lip of rock was high. Heard de click of John's lighter. Didn't even make de tiniest spark.

"Hell," he said again. Could hear de rueful humor in his voice. He shook his head, spraying droplets of water all 'round.

Climbing out was easier dan climbing in. Closed my eyes t' allow dem to adjust t' de light. Even filtered through de leaves and branches it pierced. Even though it was sitting lower, casting long shadows.

"We should get back. Told Jacques and Rochelle we'd fix dinner," I said.

We made our way back t' de road in silence. De sharp smell of crushed vegetation was everywhere. Grabbed de crook of Rogue's elbow t' slow her enough so dat I could link our fingers. In de sinking light, her face looked strong. De planes and hollows in carved relief. A surge of happiness filled me. Have t' collect good memories like little pebbles.

Behind us, Kitty cried out in alarm. Turned t' see John down on one knee in de middle of de road. One arm raised t' warn dat he didn't want help. Kitty's hands hovered over him, twitching forward insistently.

"Damn clumsy," I thought I heard him mutter. "I'll be fine. Tripped." He tried t' rise, den fell over completely onto his front. Kitty dropped t' her knees and rolled him over. His breathing was strange and hitched.

"Ah'll get help," Rogue whispered in my ear. I nodded. De force of her takeoff made de tree branches sway.

*** * ***

**Misa1124:** I have a feeling you're right on the money with Nita. I'm not trying to be mysterious, and really, she's not at the heart of the story or anything, but I like to keep some mystery for those who don't know who she is because they're not as familiar with that particular part of the Marvelverse. The everyday is the most challenging thing to me, because stuff can happen, but most of the time it doesn't. It's not realistic. Said the girl writing about superpowered teenagers...

**Seven Sunningdale:** Hooray! I'm always so nervous writing makeout scenes. Because, y'know, it's more of something you feel anyhow. Like, I wouldn't ever go: how would I describe this in excruciating detail. I'm glad you like the John/Kitty thing. I never really planned for them to get together, but I do think their relationship is kind of interesting. There's a moment in one of the other stories where John is kind of lamenting his lack of relationship, but in a very downplayed way. I think that's really one of the keys to what's going on with him. Not having much to do specifically with Kitty per se. Also, the poor boy's under the weather these days...

**ishandahalf:** Ted is my favorite. Guys in glasses with the dry humor. But, in truth, I love them all. They seem so NICE. If that's all an act, I don't want to know the truth. I pick out random stuff to obsess over too. It's the details that make things seem more real. At heart, Remy is way more traditional than he'd like to admit out loud. There's always going to be an obstacle. My question is: can they overcome it with a minimum of melodrama?

**Caliente:** Hey now, no self-deprication here. That's for me only. To my mind, Rogue and Remy are about as happy and functional as I can make them. I really do believe that their particular pairing doesn't have to be about the high drama all the time. Let's give John his drama. Was the cliffhanger mean? Maybe.

**Star-of-Chaos:** More on Nita to come, promise. As always, I strive to keep the angst levels at a minimum.

**Aro:** Thanks! (blushes) The accents have changed slightly since I started this series, a way long time ago. I think they used to be more intense. Practice practice practice, I suppose. I like Jacques and Rochelle too. Everyone deserves well-adjusted relatvies.

**Randirogue:** Dear. Sweet. Lord. I thought I'd never hear from you again! Dude, I totally have to start reading Callous again now that you're updating again. Whee! Um, and yup, I'm almost sure you've got Nita right. But, I mean, how could you not as one so knowledgable about all things Marvel? The John and Rogue stuff is backburnered for a bit (sorry!) but like I said up there, it all kind of ties in with John's lament on his lack of a relationship. Not totally, but in part. Which is cryptic, but as clear as I can be at the moment.

**The Rogue Witch:** But wasn't it fun anyway? I loved seeing everyone older. And Rogue with her Ms. Marvel powers! It made my dusty fangirl heart flutter wildly. But yeah. My John isn't really Evo's John and he is a bit more mature these days.

**Letanica:** I loooove mangoes, but you definitely have to wait until they ripen a lot before you eat them. My secret goal with the last chapter was to make people hungry. Like the way I get hungry every time I read Invisible Man and he's eating the hot yams with butter or the vanilla ice cream with sloe gin. Mmmmmmm. (drools) Oops, back now. For once (!) I completely know what's goin' on. Everything will come about in due time. I'm in the driver's seat with little regard for the safety of others. Rock!

**Ruby-servantof-eli:** There are a couple things wrong with Kitty, but she's mostly snapped out of it now. I won't tell you what those things are though. Mwahaha. It was hard for me to see Rogue in a bathing suit too, but since you can't swim in your clothes... I'm thinking your confusion will probably lessen a tad next chapter.


	5. v

*** * ***

Ya could hear John coughin' all th' way out ta th' beach. A deep, rattlin' noise that made ya want ta plug your ears. Each time was like gettin' punched. Somethin' ya feel deep inside. Not a pain really, but a shock. Ah dug at th' sand with my toe.

"Ah don't understand why we cain't just _take_ him somewhere."

Remy, flopped back beside me, sand frecklin' his hair, rolled over partway, shadin' his eyes with his forearm an' squintin' anyways. "Nearest hospital's down in de capital. Rochelle says he'll be okay."

Another coughin' fit sounded from th' house.

"That sound 'okay' ta you?"

"_Non_. But I know t' trust my grandparents." His voice sounded tired. We were all tired. Kitty'd barely slept since we'd brought John back th' day before. Ah lay back on th' sand beside Remy. "_Cher_?" he asked softly.

Closed my eyes an' everythin' felt that much better. "Mmm?"

He traced tiny circles on th' delicate skin inside my elbow. "Mebbe dere's somet'ing y' want t' tell me?"

"Maybe we've got things ta say ta each other, huh?" Ah peeked at him sideways from under my lashes. "Everythin' got kinda crazy there for awhile."

"Still crazy." He nodded as best he could, only really succeedin' in gettin' more sand in his hair.

"Ah don't know how ta explain it. And Ah don't understand anyway." Ah rolled up onto my side so Ah could shade my eyes an' see him more easily.

"I find dat if y' open your mouth den de words come t' fill it."

"Which wouldn't have anythin' whatsoever ta do with your silver tongue."

He stuck his tongue out, mebbe just ta show me that there wasn't any silver on it. "Got not'ing t' do wit' anyt'ing."

My stomach dipped in that crazy, nervous way. But when Ah did open my mouth ta explain it was just like he said. An' th' story wasn't long. All Ah could tell him was what Ah'd felt in th' car. That heaviness between me an' John that Ah couldn't stick a name on. He was quiet for a long time after Ah was done, which didn't do much for how nervous Ah was. "Ah don't want ya ta think that anythin' happened," Ah added anxiously, reachin' out ta brush a patch o' sand from his jaw.

"_Non_." He smiled an' Ah cain't begin ta say how relieved that made me. "_Non_," he said again. "Dere's no point t' holding someone if dey don't want t' be held." He laced th' tips o' our fingers and squeezed gently. "But t' John it's not you he's after. Just de feeling of belonging dat he wants."

"A touch?" Ah suggested gently.

"We could relate t' dat."

"Th' same way Kitty didn't like ta hear Nita talk 'bout mutation."

His brow furrowed. "No one likes t' t'ink dey're a mistake, _beb_."

"O' course not! Ah don't think that's what Nita was sayin'. It was just an unfortunate comparison." There was silence for a moment. "What did John tell ya 'bout Kitty?" Th' question came ta me in an instant. Everythin' was always so tangled together. Kitty's temper an' John's newfound mopin' fascination wit' every girl who _wasn't_ her.

Remy chuckled. "What did Kitty tell y' 'bout John?"

"Just that it didn't work out. Nothin' dramatic."

"Dey're very different," Remy agreed.

"Sometimes that works!" Ah protested.

"Sometimes." He pulled me into his body. So sudden that Ah forgot ta cry out about th' sand that slipped down into my clothes. "Sometimes it doesn't." Ah was so close, tucked in under his chin, that Ah felt th' words more than heard them. A soft buzz against my nose.

"T'ief knows more decorum dan dis." Jacques' body blocked th' sun enough so Ah could work loose in Remy's arms an' look into Jacques' face -- drawn an' filled wit' gentle frustration.

Remy's arms disappeared from around me. He sprang ta his feet. All business. "What is it?"

"De nearest dat we can tell: nasty bout wit' mercury poisoning."

That was enough ta get me sittin' up. "Mercury?"

Jacques nodded. "It's in de water here. In de fish." He stopped, brows lowered in confusion. "Can't see how it could've happened so quickly."

By then, Ah was on my feet too. "Why didn't ya tell us?" Somethin' so dangerous...

"Dat's par for de course, _petit_," Jacques soothed. "Dere's no place in de world safe from poisons."

"Not like _mercury_," Ah protested. My frustration with th' situation was makin' it harder ta think logically. Ah didn't want ta blame anyone for what happened ta John, but there had ta be someone. Ya couldn't just shake your fist at th' water or a cooked fish an' say "god dammit". There wasn't any reward in it.

"How _could_ it have happened so quickly?" Remy asked, directin' his question not ta Jacques but at Nita, who'd come silently, hoverin' at th' edge o' our little group.

She looked down at her hands, turned her palms up. "I'm sorry about John."

"De boy's stubborn enough t' survive most anyt'ing. Dis is not'ing." Remy's smile wavered at th' last minute but Ah'm sure Ah'm the only one that noticed.

Nita nodded. "If it's the first time, the dose is low enough so he'll be fine in a day or two. Just really tired." She stopped for a moment, lookin' puzzled. "His blood was saturated with it. I'm not certain how it could have happened so quickly either. Aquatic life is particularly susceptible to pollution levels in the environment." Her eyes wandered out over th' pane o' turquoise water. "A place like this...controls aren't enforced."

"Or present at all?" Ah asked.

"Right. Ugly inside. But the samples I've taken so far don't add up. Low level mercury poisoning like your friend has takes a long time to develop. The mercury has to build up enough to penetrate at a cellular level."

It was a terrible thought that flashed into my head right then. Ah grabbed Remy's forearm, diggin' my fingers in. Clamped my mouth shut so that Ah wouldn't accidentally blurt out what it was that'd occurred ta me. Not before Ah had a chance ta think things out. "Do ya need anythin'?" Ah asked Jacques, knowin' that my question was too sudden, too loud.

He had a funny look in his eye so Ah knew that he'd seen me thinkin' and he was tryin' ta figure things out for himself. Ah didn't want ta give him th' opportunity. "Rochelle wants t' make some broth later. She'll need vegetables."

"We'll go." Ah shoved my feet into my flip-flops, grabbed Remy's hand an' tugged him along. Ah was in such a hurry that Ah half ran into Nita. Ah had ta reach out an' steady myself against her arm. Her skin was so strange. It made me shiver. Smooth an' cool an' thick feelin'. Almost like fish skin.

*** * ***

She was pulling me so fast, almost felt like my feet left de ground. My breath came hard. "Rogue!" Not'ing. "Rogue, stop!"

She whirled in de middle of de road, hair flying out. A piece stuck against her lips. Cheeks flushed. Judge me if y' want to, but in dat moment was all I could do not t' lead her back into de snarled vegetation. Don't see much need t' sugar coat it here. Honesty is sometimes easier t' remember. "What?" De word was strangled and throaty, which didn't help de selfish impulses at all.

"What's wrong, _ma douce_ (my sweet)?"

Dat caught her attention. T' my knowledge, I'd only ever called her dat once before. Before a disaster of a confession. De worst of my life. Dat had been de moment when I realized just how much love can fuck you up and over. Dere's no way t' be smooth. De emotion is all texture.

"Ah..." Trailed my hand along her face, tucking de stray piece of hair behind her ear. She felt warm from de sun. Warm from running. Warm because she was filled wit' some uncomfortable thought. I'd seen it when we were talking t' Jacques. He'd seen it too and Rogue knew, like I did, dat it'd only be a matter of time before he pried de t'ing out of her. "Ah was just thinkin'." She swallowed hard.

"T'inking 'bout...?"

"John. Kitty. It makes crazy kinds o' sense."

"What does?"

"Remember before? John fell straight through her."

"Yeah?"

"Kitty's spent more time in th' water than any o' us. Because o' her mutation, her cell structure is different. She has ta work not ta phase through everythin' she touches. Only, in th' water she doesn't have ta do that. She told me that once. It doesn't matter. She just lets everythin' slip."

It made as much sense as anyt'ing I'd been able t' t'ink of, which wasn't much t' start out wit'. "If dat's true, why isn't she sick too?"

"Her cell structure's different, right? Mebbe there's nowhere for th' mercury ta stay really. It'd be inside her, but out o' phase. That might be enough ta keep her from gettin' sick."

"What d' we do?"

Rogue drew her eyebrows together. "Ah don't know. John'll get better. We cain't tell Kitty. She feels bad enough already."

"But what about de next time? We don't know how long de mercury might stay in her body. She could be like Typhoid Mary for all we know."

She shrugged helplessly. "Ya want ta be th' one ta tell her?"

Soft footsteps behind us. I braced myself for de inevitable confrontation. "Tell her what?" Kitty was a little breathless and I guessed she'd run from de house. Rogue's hand tightened in mine. "'Her' who?"

"Rogue's got a theory 'bout why John's sick."

Kitty smiled and waved her hand in front of her face. De movement itself was meant t' be airy, but de fatigue evident in her body was slowing her down. "Didn't Jacques tell you? Nita did some blood tests. It was mercury." Her face grew serious, but den brightened. "At least we know now that he'll get over it, right?"

"He told us," Rogue said softly.

"So what's the big deal?"

"Ah was just tryin' ta figure out how it all could've happened so fast. Ah don't really know what's goin' on."

Kitty seemed t' shrink into herself, like she was bracing t' be hit. "You think I had something to do with it, don't you?"

Rogue raised her hands, palms up. "Ah don't know anythin' for sure. But if it was in th' water..." She gathered her hair on top of her head, holding it wit' her hands. Massaged her neck absently.

Kitty bit her lip. "I know."

"It's just a theory, Kitty," I soothed. "But mebbe we should get Nita t' check you out."

"Are we gonna tell her I'm a mutant too? Because that might be pretty obvious the first time the needle goes right through my arm."

"Kitty..."

"I don't like needles and I don't like blood, okay? It makes it a lot harder to keep everything under control. If I get too light-headed I can't control anything at all." She shoved a crumpled piece of paper into my hands. "Shopping list. Rochelle wants you to get some more stuff."

"Just t'ink 'bout it. No harm in dat, _non_?"

"I just don't want her to know about me," she whispered desperately.

"Dat's understandable, but she might surprise you." Kitty's eyebrows quirked. "Somet'ing 'bout dat girl...strange. T'ink she might be more understanding dan y' t'ink."

"You think she's a mutant?"

Shook my head. "Not sure what she is."

*** * ***

I'm back! Ack! Apologies for the longer-than-expected hiatus. In short: work, friends in crisis, travel, boyfriend. Not necessarily in that order.

**vespie:** words cannot describe how much I love Ted from Queer Eye! He is utterly adorkable. I mean, they're all great, but a girl's gotta have her favorites. With the cooking and the ultra dry humor. I am sneaky and sporadic at best when it comes to starting new stories.

**ishandahalf:** warmer now. At least it's light outside when I'm leaving for work now. Sigh. Only a month or so to go before I can ditch the heavy coat (crosses fingers). Were you right or wrong about John? I'm dying to know!

**Seven Sunningdale:** I always have to try and think about things the way Rogue might. Since we're completely different people. The Hitler thing seemed like something she might say. Dude, I love the I-can't-believe-I'm-touching-her stage! Because it's kind of miraculous and should be treated as such. I'm a fan of excruciating detail. I just don't think that describing the act of making sweet love is helped much by said detail. When you get right down to it, sex is kind of mechanically weird. Good thing you're too distracted to care.

**aro:** I miss Evo a lot though. I actually liked Remy's accent. When I finally heard him speak. Or maybe I just liked the fact that he was snarky. I wasn't such a huge fan of the TAS Remy accent (or the whole 3rd person thing, it makes him seem kind of nutty while simultaneously reminding me of the Seinfeld episode with Jimmy -- "Jimmy does this. Jimmy does that.")

**randirogue:** You are, indeed, a smartie every day. And you make me feel like I must be doing something right because I mean for things to be mysterious but logical. Like, you _could_ get the right answer before I let on what's happening. The little moments are the most telling, aren't they? Maybe that's why I get so caught up in them...

**Caliente:** Do you REALLY want to know about Nita? Some more hints here. I'm not intentionally keeping her a mystery, like she's not really the story, but I was never a fan of looking at the last page of a book I'd just started either. Incidentally, are you still hanging out around the J&Q messageboards? I used to drop in every once in a while but they're all password protected now...

**just me:** I'm thinking about it, but they have to want it too. As Remy points out, they are VERY different people. I think that this series of events will definitely force them to take stock of themselves, which could potentially change things.

**Ruby-servantof-eli:** Wouldn't that just be the greatest? I mean apart from the other great things about flying... I hate the sand in the shoes thing, which then becomes the sand in the car thing, which then becomes a big fat problem that won't vaccum out and just taunts me through the winter months with thoughts of beautiful, hot summer...oh, sorry, must've drifted off for a second there. But the ocean? 1,000,000,000x better than a pool anyhow. I kind of love how the sand sticks to me all day and how my hair gets crispy and...okay, stopping now.

**Taineyah:** The answer to your crush question iiis: sort of. Not Rogue, specifically, but everyone wants someone who's going to understand and be close to them, right? Or is that just me? Am I projecting again? I think it's hard when you're isolated from other people because of your differences and so you travel around in this really, really (really) tiny, close-knit group. It makes your thinking confused. Hopefully this chapter clears up any questions as to what's wrong with Kitty and John, or at least begins to.

**Jeanne Marie:** Yay! Thank you so much! I'm always thrilled to know that my characterizations are still doing okay. It was so long ago that I spun off this series of AUs and I'm sometimes nervous that I'm getting too far away from the source material, y'know? I was sending my stuff to Karen at the LeBeau Library for a long time, but then it seemed that the updating stopped so I was just posting here. I like Envie a lot too because I think that Remy and Rogue's relationship develops a lot. I had fun writing them at school too, it's just that Remy and school don't seem to get along terribly well. And I'm definitely having a lot of fun writing a LeBeau family relationship that's fairly normal and not undercut by a whole lot of angst.


	6. vi

*** * ***

Th' bodega was small an' crowded with things. Ah sifted through a pile o' brightly colored beach towels while Remy squinted critically at a ripenin' bunch o' plantains. There was a smell in th' air like coconut oil an' heat. It made me drowsy.

Ah sat back on my heels, lost my balance an' spilled over onto th' floor. All o' which happened without Remy noticin' a thing. He'd moved on ta th' spice aisle. Ah stood an' dusted myself off, feelin' sheepish.

There was a girl behind th' counter. She'd seen my little performance an' she smiled at me shyly. Somethin' about her felt familiar. Not that Ah'd ever met her before, but sometimes there are those people. Th' ones ya just feel real comfortable with right off. Mebbe there'd been less o' those in my life than most people's, but that doesn't mean it never happened ta me.

Th' girl leaned forward over th' counter. "_Hola_."

"Hi," Ah returned.

"Your boyfriend is very handsome." Ah know Ah should've been surprised by that, but it was hard ta muster up any kind o' fierce emotion in the lazy heat. An' besides, Ah already knew he was handsome. No need ta get all anxious 'bout people statin' th' obvious.

"Thank you."

Th' girl blushed faintly, flicking her eyes down. "I...I'm sorry. I should not have..." Her voice was pretty, pitched low.

"It's okay," Ah said quickly. "Ah'm Rogue."

"Teresa." From th' back o' th' store there was a scratchin' shufflin' sound, like giant mouse noises. Teresa's forehead wrinkled. "What is he _doing_?"

Ah shrugged. "Better not ta know." She laughed softly.

"He needs your help, maybe?"

"Yeah, but needin' an' acceptin' are two different things." Ah shrugged. "This is his _thing_. Th' food thing. Th' kitchen thing. Ah just try ta stay outta th' way."

"Maybe." Teresa looked real skeptical. Right about then, there was this giant crash. Ah didn't think it was possible ta move so fast, even if Ah nearly tripped over piles o' cans an' a disintegrating box full o' dishtowels. Remy was sittin' flat on th' floor, his legs splayed out.

"What happened?"

He looked at me sheepishly an' held up a dinged can o' black beans. "Dey got de drop on me."

Ah did my best ta cover my laughin' with my hands, although Ah know he still could tell exactly what was goin' on. Teresa hadn't even bothered ta follow me back. Ah guess she was used ta th' organizational system gettin' th' better o' people from time ta time.

Remy drew his brows together. "Funny _cher_."

"Oh, yes," Ah giggled. "Ah'm glad we agree."

With a growl, he tackled me ta th' floor. An' Ah had something pokin' against my spine, but Ah didn't care because his mouth was findin' its way along my neck. He sucked gently, grazin' th' big artery there with his teeth. Ah shivered an' wrapped my legs around his waist. Cans skittered around us, headin' for darker corners. He angled his hips into mine. With difficulty, Ah broke away from under his mouth an' slipped my tongue between his lips. Ah cain't explain it. Or defend it. Felt a pang o' guilt that John should be doin' so poorly an we should...not be. Outside th' little store, everythin' was waitin' for us just like always. Inside, the biggest disaster had ta be a dented can o' beans.

"We should get back," Ah finally murmured breathlessly. "Your grandparents are probably worried. Not ta mention we're makin' a mess."

He pulled back, smoothin' his hair. "Yeah."

We gathered the rest o' th' things on Rochelle's list as quick as we could, barely lookin' at what we were buyin' except ta toss it into our shoppin' basket. Teresa winked at me when we were leavin'. Ah think, mebbe, Ah saw her sigh.

Ah slipped my hand into Remy's. "We're lucky, ya know?"

He nodded. Ah could tell his head was about a million miles away by then.

Ah didn't bother ta say anythin' else. Even though Ah could've easily. Nothin' Ah could think of woulda been any different than things he already knew. Th' sun was high overhead, glarin' down. Ah could hear th' breeze stirrin' leaves together, makin' 'em rattle, but th' air never touched my skin.

*** * ***

Dropped de groceries wit' Rochelle in de kitchen. Put dem away while she supervised, giving me stray comments here and dere. She looked tired, especially 'round de eyes, like she was looking but not seeing. Reached down and squeezed her hand and she smiled faintly.

"Don't worry 'bout dinner. I'll take care o' dat."

"Thank you," she said. "Your friend's better. He should sleep most of it off now. D'you want t' go see him?"

"Later." Patted her hand. "Rogue's in wit' him now. Where's Jacques?"

"Had t' see a man about a boat."

"He's buying a boat?"

She nodded. "He's always wanted one. Somet'ing 'bout de sea he likes." She yawned, untangling her hand from mine. "I'm not making any sense."

Looked at her seriously. "No working, _hein_?"

"No working." She moved t' leave de kitchen. "Y' can finish de rest?"

"Of course." When de sinking light split across her back, I could see de faint outlines of her shoulder blades pressing against her shirt. Dey were delicate, just like de narrow edges of seashells.

"Good. Because I don't t'ink I could lift another finger."

"I'll call y' when it's done."

Was nice dere in de kitchen, wit' only de hiss of water from de tap. Quiet. A fullness of air. Rubbed de vegetable scrubber absently against a mushroom. Sparks of light on de water. I could barely see a dark figure blotted in all dat brightness. De person seemed so much at home in de water. Made me a little homesick just t' see it. But den I wondered what home I felt sick for.

Fish again and de sweet young mussels from just along de tide pools. My hands hovered over dem. Knowing what I did 'bout de levels of mercury in de water, it was hard t' feel right 'bout serving certain t'ings. I rinsed de mussels, but left dem alone for de time being. Chopped vegetables, stir-fried in wine sauce. Cooked wild rice. Licked a few stray, nutty grains from my fingers and considered de mussels again. Jacques would be upset if I didn't cook dem. Sighed and pulled de big skillet out from over de sink.

Was just collecting de last of de ingredients from de refrigerator when Rogue padded in behind me and slid her arms around my waist. Leaned back into her and I could feel de sharp point of her chin against my back. Felt her hot breath t'rough my shirt.

"How's John?"

"Sleepin'." Her lips moved against my back. "He seems a lot better. How's dinner?"

"Getting dere."

"Not ta butt in..."

"Y' can set de table outside."

"Do ya want ta light th' torches first?"

"True." Citronella wasn't just a luxury. Was a certifiable necessity. Never seen bugs dat big. Like hummingbirds. Like B-52s. "Have t' dig dem out of de shed. Here." Handed her de plastic bucket filled wit' cleaned mussels. Dere wet shells glowed faintly.

She looked pleased and panicked at de same time. "Wait. What? What do Ah do?"

Pointed at t'ings as I explained. "Mince de garlic. Sauté in de pan wit' butter. Put enough of these t' mostly cover de bottom and stir dem around. Pour in a fourth cup of white wine and cover it wit' de lid. De steam opens de shells."

"Okay." She still looked skeptical, but less nervous. "Ya sure ya want me ta..."

Touched each cheek lightly wit' my palms. Spread my fingers so I was cradling her face. "Much as de insecurity is adorable, _beb_, I t'ink y' can do dis."

"Think," she muttered. "Okay." A smile.

Outside, de air was cooling fast. De shed where Jacques kept de torches was tucked into a shadowy corner. De sky looked bruised. Reached de door and was fumbling wit' de lock when a soft cry off beyond brought me instantly t' attention. If I had t' guess, I would've said dat someone's larger noise was being muffled by hands.

De task at hand forgotten, I eased around de back of de shed. Was hard t' move wit'out making noise. But it was dat old familiarity. De thrum of every nerve ending dat propelled me along as quiet as if I hadn't been dere in de first place.

Not quiet enough.

I staggered back, tangled, wit' one hand jammed into my hip just shy of my pocket. De other wrapped tightly around de wrist of de person holding me. Took me a moment t' recognize Nita's snarled face. Her black eyes.

She was incredibly strong. My whole body shook wit' de strain of holding her. Somet'ing brushed my ankles and den my feet were dangling inches above de ground.

"Nita?" De girl'd gone _coo yon_ (crazy), no doubt. She twisted my wrist until I could feel de tendons straining. I braced my feet against her thighs and pushed. A tearing sensation and pain in my wrist. Sprained at least. Tumbled, gasping, t' de ground. "What're y' doing, _petit_?"

She shuddered, den seemed t' see me truly for de first time. Her face relaxed. "Remy?" Lowered t' de ground. Dere were small wings at her ankles dat tucked in.

I cradled my wrist loosely. "T'ink we need t' talk, _cher_."

She nodded numbly. From de house, I could hear Rogue calling me, asking if I needed any help. Nita wound her fists into de front of my shirt, lifting me t' my feet. Her voice was a rusty growl. "If you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you."

*** * ***

**aro:** and by soon, you meant "not for a few weeks" right? [hangs head] I am the worst person ever. The worst, hella busy, person ever.

**ishandahalf:** and the parade of people/things to feel sorry for continues. Poor Remy for getting the stuffing knocked out of him. Poor Nita for being crazier than all get out. Poor Teresa for finding other people's boyfriends cute...

**Caliente:** thanks for the info re: J&Q. Perhaps things are becoming clearer to you now? Jenny, in the comics: -- more than you ever wanted to know, right?

**Seven Sunningdale:** you heard me -- it's all the positioning and really humorous faces people make and the odd noises, plus the sweat and hair and skin. Weird and funny and it's a very good thing that my brain isn't usually going at the time. And you did understand what I was getting at after all with the mercury. Because I am not even vaguely a scientist... Nita gets freakier, Jacques isn't even on the scene and Remy and Rogue make out in the canned bean aisle. Does it get better than that?

**kitsu black:** I have a feeling we'll find out way more about Nita next chapter.

**Jeanne Marie:** Some action here. I want into Kitty's head too! Next chapter, I think. The interesting thing about all these non-touching teenagers is that it's such the weird perversion of puberty -- like there's stuff you really WANT to do, only there's the self-consciousness that can be quite limiting. At least that's kind of what I remember my teen years being like. The ravages of puberty weren't pretty AT ALL. But, y'know, once Remy and Rogue figured out how to have a functional relationship, those problems went away. Did I just create an unintentional parallel? Eek. There were definitely parts of "Cajun Spice" that felt slightly familiar to me. Funny old world. And I suppose, now, there isn't going to be any source material anymore. [sobs uncontrollably] Ahem. But about the Institute -- I'd never unconditionally rule things out. I think it could be...interesting to say the least if they were to go back at some point after living so independently. Hmmm...

**Letanica:** Gah. I'm sucking with the updates lately. Really really a lot. I'm flattered that you like my snogging sequences! That's awesome! Snogging for everyone! I think I've made me a St. John fan. When I started writing him I never meant for him to become a principle. I love writing his dialogue. I think that the Guild is pretty much staying out of this one, except insofar as Jacques is a former Guild-member. But I just write where the story takes me, which sounds like a lot of bullshit, but it's really quite true.


	7. vii

When Ah found Remy, he an' Nita were standin' close. Closer than they shoulda had a right ta be. Somethin' 'bout it made me not like it straight off.

"Remy, Ah've been callin' ya forever."

He smiled. Charmin'. All o' which didn't convince me for a second. Felt ta me like Ah'd walked partway in on a conversation Ah wasn't supposed ta hear. "Took me longer dan I'd planned t' find de torches."

He handed 'em ta me with a significant look that Ah understood ta mean that he didn't want me ta stick 'round long enough ta ask a lotta questions. Ah noticed he was favorin' one hand, keepin' th' other tucked close in ta his side. Ah worried th' inside o' my lip in frustration. We hadn't had enough time ta ourselves lately. Ah didn't like th' smell o' th' situation. Not one little bit.

"Remy..."

Nita tapped her foot slowly on th' ground. Not lookin' like she wanted ta stick around there for much longer. Ah silently urged her ta leave. Damn what Remy wanted. Ah was in no mood ta be stalled anymore.

"Better get back t' de house _cher_." He pushed me with just his fingertips against my shoulder. Caught off guard, Ah stumbled half a step backward. That hurt. Ah mean, emotionally speakin'. Physically, not at all.

"Ah guess," Ah said. Ta me it sounded sulky, but Remy didn't seem ta notice.

Hasty, Ah turned back ta the house. Each step seemed slower. Ah dug th' toes o' my shoes into th' packed sand, pushin' up trails. Ah bit my lip hard ta keep from doin' somethin' embarassin' like cryin'. Like turnin' around ta run after th' both o' them an' demand ta know what it is they were doin'. Ah trusted Remy, really.

Mostly, if Ah was bein' strictly honest with myself.

Except that Nita was pretty in this weird way that made it hard ta look away from her. Except that Ah couldn't forget th' way Remy'd been holdin' his hand. Ah didn't know what ta make of everythin'. How everythin' could piece together an' make sense.

Damn. Ah couldn't even decide if they were foolin' around or tryin' ta kill one another.

Halfway back, Ah knew, more than anythin', that Ah needed someone ta listen. Ah dropped th' torches on th' ground and went straight ta Kitty's cabin.

Ah went in without even botherin' ta knock. Kitty was sittin' in a chair by th' open window, her feet propped against th' windowsill, th' chair tilted back on two legs. She didn't seem all that surprised ta see me come in. It was so strange. Th' look on her face was calm. Everythin' Ah'd been meanin' ta tell her just flew straight outta my head. Replaced by nerves firin' in erratic bursts.

"Hey," Ah said.

"Hey," she replied. "How's it going?"

"Uh...not bad. How're you?"

"A lot better, actually."

"Yeah?"

Kitty released her feet an' th' chair settled with a thump. "I called up the Professor. He's gonna let me come back." Ah opened my mouth, not so sure 'bout what would come out, but Kitty beat me to it. "Don't even try and convince me that I'm doing the wrong thing, Rogue. I thought about it a lot. I think that's a big part of why I've felt so crazy lately." She laughed softly. "I mean, not counting the mercury and stuff. I know it's cool to pretend we're all adult and junk and live independently, but I guess I don't really see the point anymore."

"Not like it was much better back at th' Institute," Ah reminded her.

Kitty shook her head. "There were some problems, but there's nowhere perfect. I think being here let me see that. Like what Nita was saying about how you can't tell how a place _is_ by what it looks like."

Mention of Nita's name brought me back ta my original point.

"Ah wanted ta talk ta you 'bout that."

"What?"

"Nita. Ah ran into her an' Remy just now."

Kitty raised a hand, shook her head violently. "Woah, woah. I don't want to hear any more of that stuff. Don't make yourself crazy. Remy wouldn't..."

Ah sighed noisily an' flopped backwards onto her bed. "Ah know. At least Ah thought so, but when Ah saw them...they looked _guilty_, Kitty."

Th' bed dipped when Kitty climbed up ta kneel alongside me. She pursed her lips. "That girl's up to something."

"Yeah?"

"Uh huh. I can feel it. John thought she was totally cute and John's never attracted to _normal_ girls."

A thought occurred ta me. When Ah brushed my fingertips over her knees; her skin was cool. "What _about_ John, Kitty?"

"Maybe he can come back with me?" her voice was a kinda bitter hopeful, like she knew everythin' wasn't gonna work out all neat an' perfect that way, but she still had ta say it anyway. "Maybe we can all go?"

There was a tight knot in my stomach at that. Ah swallowed real hard so that it wouldn't move up into my throat when Ah shook my head. "Ya know that isn't how it'll happen."

"I think we should talk about it."

"Okay," Ah promised. "Later."

"Okay." Her voice sounded thicker than before. "Um, so remind me again why we're not sneaking around to blow the whole lid off this Nita-Remy thing?"

"Ah don't know..." Ah drew th' words out.

"Come on. We can't sit here all day just talking and pretending like we don't want to cry." Ah raised myself up on my elbows so Ah could look her square in th' face, all ready ta protest. She tilted her head an' looked at me curiously. "We're such _girls_ sometimes, I swear."

"Speak for your damn self!" Ah shot back as gentle as Ah could.

Kitty sniffed hard ta be done with her sadness. We both knew she was right.

"Why don't y' pretend like I'm an idiot and explain why y' t'ought it was a good idea t' break my wrist?"

Nita opened her eyes ingenue-wide and blinked. "I what?"

Gingerly, trying not t' jostle de t'ing, which was puffing up bigger by de moment, I used my good hand t' raise my wrist. "Here."

Nita's hands flew up t' cover her mouth. "Oh," she said faintly.

"Why don't y' _keep_ pretending and explain why y' t'ought it was a good idea t' threaten me." Could feel de anger building up inside and dat wasn't a good t'ing, but tell de truth, mebbe it was de only reasonable response t' de situation.

"No," she finished just as soft, shaking her head wit'out taking her hands away from her face. Grabbed her shoulder wit' de good hand, mindful dat it might be asking for trouble. Didn't want t' have no good hands.

"Nita!" I said sharply.

She stopped abruptly and looked at me. "I didn't want things to turn out like this." She raked her hands back through her hair. "Namor was right."

Somet'ing familiar was swimming in her dark eyes. Wit' a start, I had t' acknowledge de look of regret. Didn't know why it was so hard t' remember sometimes dat de LeBeau family didn't have de key and copyright for dat particular emotion. "Namor?"

She was quiet, breathing in and out through her nose very slowly. When she spoke again, she seemed much calmer. "Namor. He's my cousin." Her hair was wedged mostly behind her ears and I couldn't help t'inking dat dey'd mebbe gotten more pointed since I'd noticed dem last.

Dis wasn't exactly clarifying de situation. "Your cousin."

But Nita wasn't paying much attention t' what I was saying. She touched my broken wrist very softly. "I'm sorry."

De way her fingers lingered made me jumpy inside. "I'm tougher dan dat, _cher_. Don't worry." Smiled, but I could feel dat it wasn't really reaching my eyes.

She shook her head. "No, really, let me fix that, okay?" When I couldn't t'ink of a way t' discourage her fast enough, she disappeared in de direction of her cabin for a minute. Braced against a tree, I tilted my head back and let de dark patterns of palm leaves turn into nonsense against de dimming sky. Wondered what ever happened t' my nice, restful vacation. Nita reappeared wit' a handful of gauze wrappings and a thin board. "Here." She took my hand again, careful not t' jostle my wrist. "Sit down." De girl had me over a barrel. I sat. She was cross-legged, my hand in her lap, practically. "This might..."

De rest of what she said was blotted out in a flare of pain as she adjusted my wrist into one line and bound it tight wit' de gauze. If I'd been ready for it I might have...but _non_. After what seemed like de longest time ever, she patted de top of my hand lightly.

"Who's Namor? What did he warn you about?" I managed, steadier dan I felt.

"He's my..."

"So y' said. But dat doesn't _tell_ me anyt'ing."

"We...we don't do well with so much oxygen. It makes us...not ourselves."

"'We'? You're not a mutant."

"Not exactly."

"But you're not human."

She stood, brushed herself off. De wings at her ankles fluttered. "Not exactly."

"Not exactly?" Climbed t' my feet myself.

"We're close. As far as I can tell the two species are very close." She looked tired all of a sudden. Almost deflated.

"Y' okay, _cher_?"

"I'd better get down to the water. I haven't been in enough today." It was a struggle t' keep up wit' her, her speed poured on and herself practically skimming over de ground. De laws of gravity not applying. She shed pieces of clothing as she went, but I didn't t'ink 'bout dat much. I couldn't stop t'inking dat if she got down t' de water she'd disappear somewhere where I didn't t'ink I could follow.

She was waist deep and I was low on breath.

"Nita!" When she turned a quarter back, I could see de shadowy curve under her breast dat created a tight crescent wit' de line of her neck. Wit'out answering, she slid into de water as easy as a seal might. "_Merde_," I muttered under my breath.

Stripped off as much clothing as I t'ought would help and I plunged in after her. Was hard t' see anytin'g in de darkened water and my eyes burned from de salt. I'd almost given up when I caught a wisp of movement in de corner of my vision. Less graceful dan I would've liked in de water, I still managed t' catch hold. We rose, sputtering, t' de surface, my hand tangled in her hair.

"Do you want to drown?" she demanded angrily. "Because I could arrange it."

"T'ink I deserve more of an explanation dan you're giving before y' swim off wherever it is y' came from, _cher_."

She let out a genuine peal of laughter. I scowled and dat only made her laugh harder. "I'm not going anywhere. I'd have to be crazy to give up all my thesis work _now_."

Don't know dat I'd ever been more genuinely confused. Which is, naturally, de moment when Kitty and Rogue decided t' appear on de shore out of nowhere.

"Remy!" Was hard t' tell from a distance whether Rogue was upset or not. Not dat finding me wet wit' a naked girl was exactly de best of any world.

"This might as well be a goddamn Three Stooges movie," Nita grumbled. She looked pointedly down at my hand, dat was still caught in her hair. "Do you mind?"

I released her hair and waded toward shore, holding my soggy, splinted wrist in front of me. Mebbe de white bandages would act like a surrender flag.

**Aro:** Doesn't that suck? At least she tried to make reparations. Atlanteans seem to have some biologically-motivated anger management issues.

**ishandahalf:** I had a friend who kinda burned water once. She was trying to make ramen. But I think that cooking is mostly a matter of paying attention pretty closely at first. Later comes the improvisation.

**kitsu black:** I am not making up the ankle wings, although I find them rather silly and strange on a water-based species. I mean, she's not a flying fish or anything, but I'm trying to stick with canon here.

**Jeanne Marie:** My brain has been working slowly as of late, but you're welcome to borrow it at any time. I only thought to give you fair warning. (They did the puberty thing in the Spiderman movie and I was all, "Oh, so the web thing is like premature ejaculation? Hahahaeww." Hm.) I like Remy and Rogue because their makeout sessions are often fraught with mild amounts of peril. And John's totally on the mend. I'm guess he'll pop up again next chapter.

**Taineyah:** Um, shockingly enough I know how I'm going to end this puppy, so hopefully updates will be more frequent.

**Seven Sunningdale:** I'm sure they did clean up after themselves. And guys who cook _are_ sexy. Or maybe I'm just biased because my boyfriend's coming over to cook for me on Wednesday. Hm. Nita's not quite a mutant. She's related to Namor. Like I said, I find the wings kinda silly, but they gots ta go in.


	8. viii

****

Ah sighed heavily an' rubbed at th' back o' my neck. Kitty's fingers tapped a nervous dance on my forearm.

"It's gonna be okay," she breathed.

Ah knew it. Just th' way Ah knew that Remy soakin' wet with his hands in another girl's hair was all some kinda funny mistake. Some kinda funny for sure.

"It's not what y' t'ink, chere." He'd stopped 'bout five feet away. Teeterin' on th' edge o' his toes, but not actually movin' any closer. One wrist was splinted, but th' wet bandages were saggin' away from th' skin.

"What would ya know about th' way Ah think?" Ah asked sweetly.

Remy shoved his good hand in th' direction of his pocket, but his clothes were too soaked ta let him find it easily. Finally, he just clenched his fist into his shorts an' shook his head. "Seems like less and less every day."

In th' meantime, Nita had slipped back into her clothes ta join us. We were all standing with our legs braced apart, just like we'd start fightin' at any moment.

Nita raised her hands, palms up. "I think we should talk."

"What's all this, then? A man can't be sick without th' world going all pear shaped?"

Ah felt like everythin' sorta stopped right then, until Kitty let out a small squeak an' dashed forward, throwin' her arms around John's neck with more enthusiasm than Ah'd seen from her in days.

"Careful, love," John chuckled, staggering back under her weight.

"Oh! Sorry. Sorry," she gasped, disentangling herself. "You probably still feel like crap. Sorry."

John grimaced. "Might not've put it quite that way myself." Kitty laughed quietly. "Seems like everyone's got their own drama t' get sorted." He pointed back in the direction of th' house. "Why don't we sit and talk like civilized people, eh?" His voice was strong enough when he said it, but Ah could see how he was still pretty unsteady on his feet.

Remy stepped forward an' slipped his good arm around John's waist. John stiffened for a second an' Ah could almost see th' dirty, offhand comment he was achin' ta make. Instead, he just clapped his hand on Remy's shoulder an' sagged against him gratefully.

"Y' shouldn't be out of bed."

"Couldn't very well stay in it any longer. I would've gone barking mad."

"Who does this to the water?" Kitty asked Nita as we started back ta th' house. Softly, so that Remy an' John wouldn't hear. "I don't know exactly what your deal is, but you seem to know a lot about it."

"Are you accusing me..."

"No." Kitty bit her lip. "I don't like feeling like no one knows what's going on."

Ah opened my mouth ta say that mebbe that's why she wanted ta go back ta the Professor, but Ah couldn't get it out. It was just one more thing. Ya never really know how much ya can pile on top o' one person before they start ta crack just a little. We were carryin' over our share, an' some of it was th' nature of what we were, but some of it was the nature of who we were.

Nita sighed. "Sorry. I...I'm just like this sometimes. Namor says that too much air oversaturates our systems."

"Who's Namor? Wait, _your_ systems?"

"Let's just wait 'till everyone can hear?" Ah suggested. "No sense in sayin' things twice."

Soon enough, we were all installed comfortably enough in th' big house. Remy insisted on John lyin' down an' he fussed a little, but in th' end Ah think he was grateful ta get off his feet. Th' rest of us sat in chairs on both sides. Ah propped my feet against th' coffee table.

"There's not much of a beginning to start from," Nita warned.

"Let's start wit' de basics, den."

Nita gave Remy a piercing look. Somethin' Ah wouldn't have wanted ta be on the receiving end for. "Name, rank and serial number, is that about right?"

"We'll start wit' de name."

"Namorita."

"Why aren't you using your real name?" Kitty asked suspiciously.

Nita sighed, sinking back into th' soft cushions of her chair. "Nita _is_ my real name. It's a nickname. If your name was Namorita, would you want to use it?"

"Girl's gotta point, sweetheart," John said. Kitty bit her lip. Ah think she was torn between givin' him a good-natured swat an' not wantin' ta hurt him by accident.

"What are you doing here?"

"Exactly what I said I was. I'm doing a comparison study on the effects of pollutants on the cellular health of aquatic animals and plants." She nodded her head in John's direction. "Some of you should be pretty familiar with the concept by now."

John leered gently at her. "Who exactly you callin' a fish now, love?"

"Y' mind telling us why de air makes y' crazy, _chere_?"

Nita (she was right, Ah couldn't think o' her as Namorita) shook her head. "We don't know exactly. No one ever spent as much time on the surface as my cousin, Namor. He used to get into...trouble."

"Cop trouble? Dat what you're sayin'?"

"Army trouble," Nita said flatly. "I guess it was pretty much hushed up. Humans don't like much that's different, do they?"

"_Non_."

"Hold on a second," Kitty said. She looked puzzled an' she shook her head like she was clearin' it. "So this whole other species under the sea, you're from..."

"Atlantis."

Kitty pinched herself. "Now I _know_ I'm dreaming. I fell asleep and dreamed this whole crazy vacation. Because it seems wrong to me that all you'd be here for is our accredited colleges and universities."

"Think of it as a study abroad program," Nita said dryly. She looked from one person to another. John burst out laughing, bracing one hand against the edge of the couch so he wouldn't roll off onto the floor.

"I think Kitty had it right the first time," he chuckled. "We're all asleep back in Washington."

* * *

****

****

Not wit' a bang, but a whimper, as de poet says. I know I'm too fond of dat line. Somet'ing 'bout de terrible anticlimax is appealing. Somet'ing 'bout de tragedy untapped, but present just under dat line. Reminded me of seeing my family, or de x-men. De people who wear masks and hardened shells t' keep demselves from getting hurt. But de perspective is doubled when y' can see de exterior and know de person underneath it.

Jacques was admitted t' de hospital wit' chest pains a week ago. Turns out dat he'd had symptoms for weeks wit'out bothering t' tell anyone 'bout it. A t'ief is stubborn t' de end. A Lebeau is.

I wonder how much sadness can surround someone before dey shrink under it or it sucks dem dry like a raisin.

What I always loved 'bout Jacques was dat he never seemed t' let himself get hard. Dat dere was a secret welling of generosity inside him. Or calm like an enormous, sheltered lagoon. De ocean inside was refuge for him. For me. I never realized.

Used t' t'ink it was a curse t' die in your sleep. Why not in de midst of action? Why not come t' meet de inevitable?

But opinions can change. T'ings you thought were set in stone turn out t' be not too true anymore. It's a brave t'ing t' come t' de understanding dat your beliefs can alter. Even braver if y' can admit dat out loud.

Jacques slipped away in de midst of sleeping when de little crease between his eyebrows relaxed into a faint line. Somet'ing t' be said about an end dat's just an end, even if it tears me up inside t' t'ink about it. But dere's not'ing like a quiet tragedy t' help y' realize t'ings.

I was standing in de doorway, watching dem bundle de sheets from de bed. Couldn't decide whether I was coming or going.

Rogue hooked her index finger over my thumb and tugged gently.

"Comin' in or goin' out?"

"I was just t'inking 'bout dat."

"Ah know." She kissed my shoulder through my t-shirt. "Ah know Ah probably shouldn't ask ya what you're doin' next."

We squeezed t' one side t' let de nurse by wit' de bed linens. "Y' can't help but ask."

"Yeah."

Raked one hand back t'rough my hair. Dat was my bad wrist. It gave a twinge even t'rough de cast. Felt strange when it rubbed against my scalp. "I don't know," I admitted.

Rogue was silent for a long time. "Ah don't think that's a bad thing," she finally said.

"Kitty's going back t' de Institute?"

"She'd decided ta do that before all this happened."

"I was just asking, _chere_."

She sighed. "Ah know. Sorry. Ah guess Ah'm not sure if she's makin' th' right decision."

"Might stay here wit' Rochelle," I blurted out suddenly. Not dat my grandmother had asked me. Fact was she'd kept insisting dat she'd be fine. Couldn't quite bring myself t' believe her. Family first.

Rogue closed her eyes and kept dem closed. "And?"

Kissed her cheekbone. "I was t'inking 'bout dat too. Wit'out Jacques, it'll be hard for her t' run de hotel."

"And ya make it easier." Dere was a sharp note I didn't like.

"Mebbe. All I can do is try."

"Sure."

"_Chere_?" I asked uncertainly.

"Nothin'. Nevermind."

Pressed my lips together. "Not not'ing." Couldn't bring myself t' meet her eyes. Instead, I concentrated on de way her hair curled back over her ear.

She looked at me; forced me t' look back by dropping her fingers from mine and pinching my chin firmly. "Ya see this place, Remy? Where you're standin' right now?"

"De hospital?" I ventured, not sure what de girl was driving at.

"Th' _doorway_." She blinked hard, like she was holdin' back some big emotion. "It's like you're always about ta leave."

"Dat's de nature of t'ings."

She shook her head, hard enough dat some hair slipped from behind her ear. She jammed it back messily. "No. No, Ah thought it was for a long time. Ah thought it was 'cause when we were livin' back in DC seemed like it was only temporary. Ah felt like a guest in my own house sometimes."

"And dat's my fault?"

"It's not about fault." She touched me lightly wit' her other hand. "Ah don't want ta make this into somethin' it's not."

"What is it, den?"

"A partin' of ways, maybe. Ah said before that Ah'd follow you as long as Ah could."

Dere was a feeling like de bottom just dropped out of my stomach. Was afraid dat if I looked down I'd see it flopping dere like a landed fish. "You're going back wit' Kitty." She let me go, knit her fingers together and stared down at dem. "Thought you said dat y' weren't sure if she was doin' de right t'ing." My throat felt thick.

"Ah'm not. Not sure if Ah'm doin' th' right thing either." When she finally looked up at me, her face was calm. Those pretty gray eyes threatened t' swallow me up whole. "Ah cain't be afraid ta do somethin' just 'cause it might not be right. For me, right now, it's just what Ah need ta go."

Impulsively, I grabbed her hands. "Stay wit' me here den."

"In th' doorway?" She shook her head.

"Isn't one mebbe-wrong decision de same as another?"

"You can come with me," she suggested calmly. Easy as dat. Pretty goddamn easy. Felt like laughing, but I couldn't be sure dat I wouldn't choke on it.

"I _tried_. Before."

"For how long? It's not a try if you're fightin' it all th' way."

Thought of my grandmother, who suddenly seemed so old and small after everyt'ing was over and done. "Rochelle needs..."

"For how long? How long will that go on before ya can get on with livin' _your_ life?"

"Mebbe dis is my life."

"Maybe you're afraid ta make a choice." Her voice faltered. She nibbled at her lip. It was adorable. It made me angry. "Ah want ta go ta college," she said finally. "Ah want ta live in a dorm an' sneak food into th' library an' drink bad beer at someone's house party."

Couldn't t'ink of anyt'ing t' say t' dat. "_Ma petit_..." She was slipping from my hands, but I could see dat all I had t' do was take a step forward t' follow her. I was teetering.

But hadn't I done dis before? Followed her only t' be met by suspicion on all sides? Wasn't dat de way it'd happened?

Or was it dat Kurt and I took turns teaching each other swears in foreign languages and I surprised de hell out of everyone in AP English? Dat de New England winter wasn't so bad as long as you were ready for it?

Somewhere in de middle of de two. Right in de doorway between extremes.

"John wants ta come too," Rogue added so quiet I almost missed it. De room felt tighter. I was alone. "Kitty convinced him. He won't go if ya ask him to stay."

"I'm not going t' ask him," I gritted.. "Wish dat y' could've _told_ me 'bout all dis sooner, _chere_." Couldn't let myself t'ink 'bout anyt'ing but being annoyed. De emotion would carry me forward.

"An' when would ya suggest Ah should've? When Jacques was sick? At th' funeral?" She crossed her arms tightly across her chest. "Don't make this my fault, Remy."

"Don't make dis _my_ fault either."

"Ah wasn't tryin' to!" She took a shaky breath. I took one too. "God. You're so damn _difficult_."

"Rogue, please..." Don't even know what I was asking.

"Please what?"

"I...I don't know." Felt like dere was a crack between us. Infinite space opening up.

"Cain't you please just let somethin' work? Give it a year. Don't think about it."

"But..."

Her hands covered my mouth. "Don't. Just one way or the other." She moved back away from me. Out into de hallway. Dat was empty for de moment. If it were just de two of us, what would I pick? De weight of what I felt like I was obligated t' do settled around my shoulders. If it were...

Nervous, I stepped out after her.

* * *

****

****

**Star-of-Chaos:** Quick Edit is not an improvement. Ew. And Rogue is a reasonable person. I think she trusts Remy even if he frustrates her.

**Kitsu Lebeau:** And we've mostly reached the end. I'm sad about Remy's grandfather. Didn't really see that one coming.

**ishandahalf:** Relationships sure are complicated things. On the whole I think it's good that they're going back to Massachusetts.

**Aro:** I am shamed by my slow updates recently. I have no idea how I got so busy. Y'know, if this series has done one thing for me it's to give me a new appreciation for Kitty. Because on the show she kind of annoyed the crap out of me.

**epona04:** Now it can be told -- Nita is Namorita, Namor the Sub-Mariner's cousin. There's a lot of really convoluted cloning stuff in there too. But I chose to ignore it.

**just me:** No outright Kyro, but I'm fascinated by how Kitty could've "convinced" John to come back with them...

**Letanica:** Y'know, I think Rogue trusts him. He's never given her a reason not to. It's just that Remy is rather secretive by nature. I think she's reached the point where she _knows_ that there's a perfectly logical explanation, but she needs him to be open enough to tell her.

**Possessor of the X Gene:** Aw shucks! This story is fairly wrapped up. I wanted to write something that seemed mysterious at first but then became a kind of everyday tragedy that anyone could experience. Stay tuned for the epilogue though.


End file.
